1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to vision and hand-to-eye coordination testing and exercising. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus which can be utilized to test and exercise the strength and reaction time of optical muscles of a human subject. In addition, the invention relates to testing and exercising the hand-to-eye coordination and reaction times of a human subject.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A variety of different types of visual exercising devices exist in the prior art. For examples of such devices, reference is made to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,224,776 (Bermann), 2,476,708 (Day), 2,718,227 (Powell), 3,258,303 (Silverstein), 3,545,847 (Pietrini), 4,294,522 (Jacobs) and 4,464,027 (Cooper). Of these, the device disclosed in the Powell patent is of particular interest. In that device, a plurality of spaced lamps on a panel are sequentially lighted in alternation with a central or fixator lamp. A human subject initially visually focuses on the fixator lamp and is required, as part of the exercise, to change his/her focus to each peripheral lamp and back to the fixator lamp as the lamps are momentarily illuminated. This procedure exercises the subject's ocular muscles.
A similar concept is employed in a machine sold under the name Eyespan 2064 by Monark America of Redmond, Wash. In that machine, however, the panel lamps are in the form of switches which the subject can push to extinguish the lamp and thereby exercise/test his/her hand-to-eye coordination in addition to his/her eye muscles.
Although the devices described above do serve their intended purposes to some extent, they suffer from a similar disadvantage which reduces their efficiency. Specifically, both prior art devices have the lamp locations spaced and clearly designated on the instrument panel. The subject, therefore, finds it relatively easy to focus upon and/or activate an illuminated lamp since there is nothing but panel surrounding that lamp. In addition, the subject can form a general idea as to where the illuminated lamp will be in advance of actual illumination of that lamp.
With respect to exercising/testing hand-to-eye coordination, it is difficult to keep track of a subject's success and progress with the prior art devices. An optometrist or trainer must stand near the device and quickly note any and all lamps which are not extinguished by the subject within a predetermined period of time. This becomes difficult, particularly if the illumination repetition rate is high.
Another device for exercising/testing hand-to-eye coordination, particularly for athletes, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,477 (Stewart). In that device, designed primarily for testing the response time of a batter to a pitched baseball, lamps are momentarily and successively illuminated along a path which, in one embodiment extends toward a batter. A plurality of vertically directed light beams are positioned proximate "home plate" and are momentarily interrupted as the batter/subject swings his bat. The time difference between beam interruption and illumination of the last lamp in the string is monitored as a measure of the subject's response to the simulated pitch. A disadvantage associated with this device is the fact that the batter/subject merely interrupts a light beam with the swing of the bat; that is, no solid object is struck by the bat. The last lamp in the sequence is not disposed at the point of impact; this displacement from the point of impact results in a built-in error in the measurement of time between illumination of the last lamp and the "hitting" of the simulated pitch at the displaced impact location. Moreover, the batter's swing is not realistic since it encounters n resistance.